I love balconies, and who does not, you can have a hawk eye view from a soothing and comfortable place. Some quick tips for perfect balconies as per my experience are:
- Do not obstruct the view. - when it’s for the sake of privacy, you can cover one side partially, but not more than that, as that will make you feel claustrophobic and also defeat the purpose of having a balcony.
- Balconies are open to birds, don’t invite the birds (pigeons) to make a nest there because they don’t go away easily and their poop is bad for human health.
- If your room door is right next to the balcony, plant some mosquito repellant plants on both sides of the gate, they will beautify the space and also keep mosquitoes at bay.
- If you plan for morning tea, do have a side table besides the main table.
- Placing a low height cushion seating is a great option as it adds privacy, comfort and won’t take any visual space.
- Keep some sun tolerant plants (if you live in a sunny city like I do), you may plant floral plants if you want to attract butterflies. Try to go for native plants as fauna won’t respond well to foreign plants.
- If you travel a lot, plant drought tolerant plants only. Plants in balconies need more frequent watering than indoor plants, almost daily, during hot weather, maybe even twice a day.
- Keep an essential oil diffuser or scented agarbatti (incense sticks) handy. It will relax you and uplift your mood in the evening for sure.
- Keep the lights dim, don’t use powerful lights in front balcony otherwise you will be the centre of attraction for all those who are there on their terraces and balconies. Keep it dim to avoid unnecessary attention, unless you want it.
- If you use the balcony to dry your clothes, go for a pigeon net. Pigeons can ruin your clothes, wet clothes give them a nice place to rest as they cool them.
